Jim’s Fitness Journey
Jim has always been into fitness and works out regularly. He describes himself as “a big guy” at 6’7”. “Even though I was in good shape, I still weighed 270 pounds.”
After some initial success on a ketogenic diet, Jim alleviated his joint pain and shed extra pounds on a carnivore diet.
Struggling with Joint Pain and Chronic Arthritis
Jim lost weight on a keto diet and got down to 250 pounds which he credits to his body being in the fat-burning state of ketosis. However, he still struggled with chronic pain, making movement and exercise difficult. “I lost weight while in ketosis on a keto diet, but for the last few years, I have had an arthritic knee and finger. They caused me pain every day.”
Knee Replacement Surgery and Its Limitations
After consulting with his doctor and his surgeon, Jim was scheduled to have his knee replaced in November 2017. “Even though I am only 55, I just couldn’t stand it anymore. The pain was constant!” Unfortunately, while knee replacement surgery can correct damage caused by arthritis, the surgery does not actually cure arthritis. The best Jim could hope for was some pain relief, but the arthritis could still come back. He also knew the recovery time could take several months, depending on the extent of the damage, so he was hoping to find a different way to address his arthritis.
Discovering the Carnivore Diet
A month later, in December 2017, Jim heard about the carnivore diet and Dr. Shawn Baker’s experience. Since he had already seen improvements from following a low-carb keto diet, he was more open to eliminating more foods to see if he could reduce inflammation in his joints.
Benefits of the Carnivore Diet for Joint Pain
While a carnivore diet is still considered a low/zero-carb diet, it differs from a ketogenic diet in a major way: it eliminates all plant foods, including grains, vegetables, fruits, and sugar. A standard keto diet allows for fruits and vegetables as long as the total carbohydrate intake for the day stays below 20 grams or 50 grams in some cases. This limit ensures the body is still in ketosis, burning stored fat for fuel instead of glucose. For Jim, switching to carnivore brought him over the finish line to better health and healing. “I experienced pain relief quickly after cutting out plant foods,” he shares. “My joint pain has all but vanished. It’s a minor miracle!”
Results of the Carnivore Diet
Jim has regained full range of motion in both his finger and knee, with no signs of arthritis! “I couldn’t bend my knee or right forefinger with full motion, but now I can.” He’s also lost an additional 20 pounds, bringing him down to 230 pounds. “I’m so lean that I can’t believe it. I eat so much!”
Jim is surprised by how much better he feels eliminating plant foods. “I would have never guessed that there would be such a disparity of results between keto and carnivore.” Jim’s wife has joined him on this journey and has had encouraging results. “My wife is also carnivore now, and she has dropped weight. All of her joints feel great. We can’t believe that this has worked so well!”
And he’s not planning to quit. “I will never go back, not EVER!”
